1. Field of the Invention
This invention is generally directed to attachments for riding lawn mowers and more specifically to a combination load carrying attachment and stand for supporting a conventional riding lawn mower in upright position so that the underside thereof may be easily serviced. The attachment includes a frame which is detachably mountable to the rear end of a conventional riding lawn mower and upon which an upper load carrying receptacle is supported so as to extend inwardly of the rear end of the lawn mower so as to be positioned generally over the rear axle and drive wheels of the mower and which also includes a lower load supporting shelf which extends from the lower portion of the frame and which is pivotable with respect thereto so that the lower shelf is selectively aligned over the frame with the rear wall of the load carrying receptacle to provide an elongated base or surface upon which the lawn mower may be supported when on its end. The upper receptacle and the pivotable lower shelf are aligned with respect to the frame so as to create a substantially continuous support surface to support the lawn mower in a vertical position. The upper receptacle also includes a pivotable rear wall which may be extended horizontally to provide a second shelf which is in elevated relationship to the lower shelf so that objects of varying sizes may be carried by the receptacle and shelf as desired.
2. History of the Art
Today's conventional riding lawn mowers or lawn and garden tractors are utilized not only for the primary purpose of cutting lawns but are also utilized to perform additional tasks such as plowing, seeding, hauling, thatching, raking and the like. To this end, there have been many implements which have been specially designed and adapted for use with various types and styles of riding lawn mowers or lawn and garden tractors. Included in these implements are trailers which may be towed behind lawn mowers and which are utilized to transport loads from one point to another.
A problem associated with traditional load carrying trailers which are used with lawn mowers is that they are not only costly to acquire but they must be separately stored when not in use thereby requiring that additional storage space be set aside for such equipment. In addition to the foregoing, such trailers restrict the maneuverability of the lawn mower when they are in use. Many trailers are wider than the conventional riding mowers and therefore limit the accessibility of the mower with respect to trees, bushes and various structures. A further drawback with conventional load carrying trailers is that they require that the load be displaced rearwardly of the lawn mower drive wheels so that that the entire load must be pulled by the action of the drive wheels. This often results in poor traction for the lawn mower or tractor, a condition which is or may be dangerous in the event that the vehicle is being simultaneously used in cutting operations.
Other types of attachments have been designed to be directly supported by the rear of a lawn mower as opposed to being trailered behind the lawn mower. Most of these accessories are directed to grass catching equipment such as the type which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,716,977 to Jackson and 4,393,645 to Moore. These attachments are specifically designed for the single purpose of catching cut grass and other debris which are being discharged from the cutter housing of the lawn mower. Therefore, such attachments cannot be utilized for other purposes.
A problem inherent with the use of any type of attachment which is secured to the rear end of a lawn mower is that it makes maintenance of the undercarriage and cutting mechanisms of the lawn mower more difficult. It frequently becomes necessary to service the under portion of a lawn mower either to adjust the tension on the clutch or brake mechanism or to replace drive or cutting belts or, perhaps, to gain access to the cutter blades to perform routine sharpening maintenance. Although some type of conventional mowers have been designed to include drop-out cutter blade housings, such housings are difficult to maneuver when they are dropped relative to the lawn mower and, also, the lawn mower must be raised over the blade housings in order to separate the housing from the mower.
Traditionally, hoists or ramps are used to elevate the front end of a lawn mower or garden tractor in order to gain access to the undercarriage. This requires both the need for hoisting equipment and the structure to mount the hoisting equipment to in such a manner that the mower will be secured in elevated position. Such prior art maintenance techniques are not only hazardous but require additional costly equipment. Further, if an attachment such as a grass catcher is connected to the rear end of the lawn mower, such attachment must be removed in order to tilt the lawn mower about its rear axle so that the mower may be supported or positioned in a vertical position. Therefore, such attachments must be removed prior to maintenancing the undercarriage of lawn mowers and thereby require additional work to be performed when maintenance becomes necessary.
Some additional examples of rear mounted prior art attachments for tractors or mowers include U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,865,365 to Foote; 3,805,500 to Sweet and 4,015,406 to Witt et al.